A New Warrior
by RockOnRose
Summary: I burst out through the tower and ran. I wasn’t sure what I was running from or where I was running to. All I knew was that I had to get out. -- Odd x OC -- possible Ulrich x Yumi.-- also possible Jeremie x Aelita. --- thanks for the reviews everyone! :D
1. Chapter 1

my first Code Lyoko fanfic. yess! lol.

disclaimer: i dont own code lyoko.

**ok. this is written in my OC's POV. her name is Raya. got it? cool.**

**read and review, please.**

**P.S.** grrr... there is one bad thing about OC's. you have to introduce them to the original characters. its annoying... ok... i'm done. on with the story.

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**Chapter One  
The Virus**

I burst out through the tower and ran. I wasn't sure what I was running from or where I was running to. All I knew was that I had to get out. I didn't know how, I didn't even think it was possible, but of course Xana just gets a kick out of proving me wrong. That tower was a trap, and I had walked right into it.

My feet swiftly moved across the dull landscape of the Ice Sector. I had no idea how long I had been fighting or how much time I had left.

There it was. The Scyphozoa hovered after me as tarantulas blocked my path. The tarantulas cocked their lasers and shot in my direction. I swung my bo staff around my body, reflecting the attack back at them. One was gone, but the other stood strong. I let out a quick breath and did a quick 360. Three Krabes made their way over to the battle and surrounded me.

The tarantula shot another beam and I tried to dodge with a flip. The shot pierced my side, sending me flying back. I tried to stand, but something was holding me back. The tentacles of the Scyphozoa wrapped around me and caught me in a trance. The red glow surrounded me as my weapon slipped from my grasp.

"Laser Arrow!" I faint voice echoed behind me. A small dart-like weapon pierced the Scyphozoa.

The Scyphozoa was gone and my body fell to the ground. I reached for my bo staff and used to help me stand.

"Aelita, the tower!" a different voice called out.

I lifted my head to see a boy in a samurai like ensemble. He fought with another boy who had bright blond hair wearing a purple suit. My eyes shifted to the right as a girl wearing a geisha like outfit hurled a fan into the weak spot on one of the Krabes.

"Go on, Princess. We got you're back," The blond boy said as he shot another arrow at a monster.

Who were these people? Who did they think they were, barging in while I was in the middle of deactivating Xana's tower?

A girl with light pink hair dashed across the landscape to the tower. She stopped at its entrance and slowly stepped in. _no._

"Stop!" I called out to the girl but it was already too late. She was in the tower. I got to my feet and I could feel the others watching me. I sprinted to the tower, "Get out of the tower!" I yelled to the naïve girl.

"Hold up," the boy with dark brown hair caught me, forcing me back.

"No! Let me go! She can't be in the tower!" I screamed at him and struggled in his grip.

"Maybe she's one of Xana's creations. Xana always manages to keep us on our toes." The girl spoke as she and the other boy walked over.

My jaw dropped, "Take that back!" I ordered, now filled with anger, "I am not associated with Xana. He's the real monster. Now let me go!"

"Guys, what's going on? Has Aelita entered the tower yet?" a new voice echoed through the now empty sector.

"She's in the tower Jeremie," the samurai spoke, "But we ran into a… situation."

I gripped my bo staff and swiftly twisted it. The staff slammed into the side of the boy's knee, making him trip and loose his grip.

I sprinted toward the tower, "You'll thank me for that later!" I called back as I approached the tower.

"No!" the others called. The girl helped the boy up as the boy in the wearing purple began to gain on me.

"Stop! She has to deactivate the tower!" he called and pounced on me.

His light body crushed against me and pinned me to the ground. I struggled under him but I couldn't move.

"Let me up!" I ordered as I refused to give up.

"No." he said stubbornly.

"More than the tower will be 'deactivated' if you don't let me go!" I screamed.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"That tower has a virus! Everything that tries to shut anything down will be killed! Now let me go!" I sent a kick where-the-sun-don't-shine and he fell over in pain.

"Owwwww!" he cried and rolled on the ground.

I got to my feet and finally reached the tower. I entered and was lifted to the top.

I gasped as I saw the girl lying on the ground beside the access code scanner. I quickly ran over to the code and tried to hack the system. It quickly clicked and I began to override the virus.

Code: Hannibal

The tower deactivated and I turned back to the girl that was on the ground. I quickly sat her up and she began coughing. Her coughs became further apart as her wide eyes met mine.

"Who are you?" she asked timidly.

"Just here to help out. And I think you're friends owe me an apology. If I didn't override the system, you could have been lost forever." I smiled at her.

"Um, thank you," she said politely.

I helped her stand as we made our way out of the entrance.

"Aelita!" the group gathered around the girl.

"Aelita? What's wrong, guys?" the strange voice spoke again.

"Nothing, Jeremie, I'm fine. I had some help." She smiled at me and began to stand on her own.

"What do you mean?" The other girl asked, "What happened in there?"

"Well… I'm not sure." She answered.

"Lets get you guys out of there and we can talk it through. There's no need for a return to a past. It was weird, nothing here on earth changed."

"I can explain that," I heard myself answer the voice.

"What? Who is that?" the voice spoke back.

"It's who helped me, Jeremie. Get us all back there and she can explain it."

"What… what?" I asked, "Back where?"

"You do go back to earth, right?" The blond haired boy asked.

"Yeah, but… hold on!" I started, "Who are you people? I've never seen you before! I thought I was the only person who was fighting Xana!"

"Nope. We've been fighting too." The brown haired boy spoke, "I'm Ulrich."

"Yumi," the other girl smiled.

"My name is Aelita," the other girl answered, "Thank you for your help."

"The name's Odd," The boy with spiked blond hair added, "And, please don't kick me again."

I felt my face flush, "Sorry about that…" I looked at the others, "I'm Raya."

"Will you come with us?" Aelita asked, "It's exciting to meet another person from Lyoko."

I nodded, "Sure. I don't see any harm." I smiled.

It wasn't like I had much of a home to go back to in my 'real life'. Maybe it's a good thing I ran into these strange warriors…

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**what do you think? review please. and be honest!**

i've had this idea for a while so i thought i should post. tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

hey, 2nd chapter. w00t. well... sorry it took me a while to update. and thanks for your reviews.

**read and review, please. :D**

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**Chapter 2  
Fitting In**

When I arrived in the real world with my new found comrades, only one word could describe how I was feeling. Jealous. I turned around in another circle and eyed every piece of electronic equipment in the room.

"Holy crap!" I said for the thirteenth time, "Is that a V.10?" I walked over to the computer that the kid named Jeremie worked at.

"Yup, it's a V.10 alright," Jeremie stated, obviously proud.

"May I…?" I asked and did my best to put on an innocent face.

"Uh, sure, just don't break it." Jeremie answered.

I sat down at the supercomputer and logged into the network. I typed in my login, which was_ Dido, _and typed in my much-too-long password, lyokowarrior193092759274999284565548572650362659863. (Don't even ask me how I've memorized that or how I can type it in less than 30 seconds.) I quickly searched the system, looking at all the towers and monsters on Lyoko. The graphics from this supercomputer were much, much better than the ones I had on my V.3 at home. The V.10 was also much, much faster. My hands moved swiftly over the keys as I checked over the whole network, scanning for any other viruses or any glitches in the system. I had been working on trying to find if it was possible to hack Lyoko for 5 years now. So far, I hadn't had much luck.

I could feel the eyes of my new comrades staring at me. I spun around in the chair and gave them a glace, "What? Can't a girl check for an activated tower on a crazed super computer that wants to take over the world in peace?"

Jeremie looked at the screen wide-eyed, "H-how did you do that?" he asked in complete awe.

"Do what? I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary." I answered, totally confused as to why he was so interested in a simple virus scan.

"I've never seen anything on Lyoko as high tech as that," he said, still amazed.

"…Seriously?" I asked in disbelief, "I do this daily. The search isn't the hard part, the hard part is actually cracking the virus and glitches."

"Ok, its official, we need to go talk and share everything we know about Lyoko." Ulrich chimed in.

"Ok," I agreed, "and, judging by the equipment you have here, you could probably teach me some stuff too."

"Great lets go," Yumi said as she pressed a button, opening an elevator.

"You mind if we get something to eat first? I'm starved," I thought I heard an echo to my voice but then I realized what it really was.

I looked over at Odd. We had said the same thing at the exact same time. _Creepy… _

"Jinx, you owe me a coke!" I heard the echo again.

"No way!" we added together.

"Great, just what this group needs, another Odd…" Ulrich sighed.

"Hey!" me and Odd spoke in unison and immediately broke out in laughter.

"Now _that_ was just creepy!" I laughed, and thankfully, there was no echo this time.

"You can say that again!" Odd added with a laugh.

We all crammed into the elevator and chatted as it slowly rose to the main level.

I followed the group through a series of obstacles to get back to their main entrance, which was like a sewer.

I walked with them until we came to a room that was packed with kids waiting in line for food. I examined the other kids closely and how they reacted to my sudden appearance in the building. None of them really noticed.

"Hey, Odd!" a kid called and slapped him a high five as he ran by. Odd returned the greeting in a similar manner.

I observed as we made our way to the front of the line. Different people talked to the group as I eavesdropped.

"Hey, Yumi, catch you in Math," a boy who looked like an upperclassman shot Yumi a glance.

"Ulrich, you gonna enter the skate competition?"

"Aelita, are you going to sign up for art next semester?"

"Della Robbia, I think I heard Jim was looking for you. He thinks you're the one that put his clipboard in jelly."

"Yumi, did you get the homework in English? I don't get it at all."

"Hey Ulrich," a few girls giggled, "See you in P.E." one blushed.

"Odd, I think Jim is looking for you. Something about his clipboard in jelly?" another person asked and Odd simply responded, "Yeah, I know. But thanks for the heads up."

"Jeremie, do you mind helping me study for my Physics test?" a girl asked and Jeremie nodded.

To me, it seemed like they were decently popular people who ruled this school. I didn't know I was going to be running with the popular crowd, I hope they don't expect me to be popular. I've never been a fan of the whole every-person-in-the-school-wants-to-be-your-best-friend thing. I was still kinda happy that I still went unnoticed. But my happy unnoticed streak didn't last too long.

After I got my food, I was making my way through the crowded lunchroom to the table on the other side where the rest of my group was sitting.

"Hey, new girl," a deep voice caught my attention.

I looked over to see a boy with long, dark brown hair that covered one eye. He had beautiful, light blue eyes that could melt your soul.

"Who? You mean me?" I asked, not giving away that I even gave his appearance another glance.

"Of course, haven't seen a new face as pretty as yours in a while," he said back.

"Uh… thanks." I answered, not appreciating the fact that he judged me by my appearance.

"You need a place to sit? I got a place open at my table." He continued. Obviously, he couldn't tell that I just wanted him to leave me alone so I could go talk about Lyoko with my friends.

"Uh, no thanks, I'm good." I answered with a smile, "I already told someone I'd sit with them. Sorry." I added when I saw his eyebrows pull together. Something told me this guy wasn't used to rejection.

"Well, I'm Zak, by the way. Maybe we have some classes together or something. And maybe we could hang out sometime," he said and I forced myself to nod in agreement. He gracefully turned to go back to his table.

"Yeah, and maybe I'll just go throw myself in front of a truck," I mumbled once he was out of hearing range.

I placed my tray next to Odd's. Something inside me told me that Odd and I were going to be friends. You know, we had the chemistry and stuff.

"So, I see you've met Zak." Yumi laughed.

"Yeah, who is that guy?" I wrinkled my nose.

"He is the school player." Ulrich blurted and Yumi elbowed him in the side, "Ow! What? It's true."

"He hits on all the hot girls," Odd explained.

"Oh," I smirked at him, "So, you're calling me hot?"

"What? That's not what I meant!" he said, starting to turn red.

"But that's what you said," I countered.

"Well…" Odd tried to think of something.

"Face it man," Ulrich began.

"She trapped you in your own words," Yumi finished.

"Well, Zak is gonna get a rude awakening to reality when he gets rejected by the new girl," Jeremie added, "I don't think he's ever been turned down. Aelita even went out with him."

I stared at Aelita and I couldn't believe it. She was so quite and nice and innocent looking. I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that she actually said yes to that bozo.

"I didn't know he wanted to go on a _date_!" Aelita began blushing, "I thought he really wanted me to help him with his biology homework. I never would have said yes if I knew he wanted to be my _boyfriend_," Aelita explained.

"Yeah, but you still went out with him," Jeremie tried to keep the teasing playfulness in his voice, but I didn't need to be superman to realize that he had a major crush on Aelita.

"Yumi, did you go out with him too?" I asked.

Yumi laughed, "No way! I lied and told him I had a boyfriend," She smiled, proud of her cleverness.

"Nice." I laughed and we bumped fists.

Something was telling me that I would fit in here just fine.

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**review please. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

sorry! it took me a long time to update, so sorry.  
Disclaimer: dont own code lyoko.

**read and review please.**

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**Chapter 3  
Me and Who?**

"Who is she again?" the guy named Jim asked as he eyed me, suspiciously.

"Uh, my second cousin. She just moved here." Ulrich explained.

"Uh-huh…" Jim eyed me again, "Okay, let's go to the principal. We'll get her signed up."

"Thanks, Jim." Ulrich sighed, "Come on, Raya," He lowered his voice, "We'll get it so you have at least one of us in each of your classes."

"Kay," I hummed and followed him to the principal's office.

Jim knocked on a door, "Come in," The voice on the other side answered.

We walked in and Jim motioned me to a chair in front of the desk, Ulrich stood behind me.

"Ah, hello Raya," The old man greeted.

"You know me?" was all I could manage to say. I mentally hit myself for not responding like a normal person.

"Yes, Yes. You're parents called and we already have everything taken care of. You just need to schedule your classes." The old man spoke again.

"Kay." I answered.

"Raya already wrote out what she would prefer he schedule to be like. This is what it was at her old school," Ulrich placed a piece of paper on the guy's desk.

The man quickly looked it over and nodded, "Yes, I believe we can do this. You will be an official student here by tomorrow. You two are free to go."

I quickly stood up and followed Ulrich out the door.

"That was quick," I muttered.

"Yeah, it helps when you have friends who have already done this routine before." He smiled.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Aelita is from Lyoko. We had to materialize her to the human world. So, we've already done the whole fake student deal." He explained.

"Right," I sighed, "And, I'm your cousin?"

"Yup." He answered simply.

"And my parents?" I smirked at him and he smirked back. I already knew that answer.

"Your parents are Jeremy and Aelita with socks covering their mouths." He laughed.

"Excellent," I mused.

"Welcome to our school corporation," Odd teased as Ulrich and I sat down by the rest of the group.

They were lounging in a grassy area next to the school. Ulrich slid to the grass and leaned back on a tree, next to Yumi. Aelita sat next to Jeremy, across from Yumi and Ulrich.

I sat across from Odd, who was sitting next to Ulrich, completing the circle.

"Incoming, Sissy at 10:00." Ulrich hummed to the group.

"Sissy? What's a Sissy?" I asked and turned to look in the 10:00 direction.

"So, you're the new girl, huh?" a girl with dark hair floated up to me.

"That depends," I answered, "Who wants to know?"

"Ha, charming," she scoffed, obviously annoyed.

I cocked my head in confusion to why she already hated me.

"Ulrich is my cousin." I offered, as if I needed some reason as to why I existed.

"Oh," she looked surprised and her bad-vibe mode seemed to go away, "I'm Sissy. Welcome to our school. Maybe we can do lunch sometime."

"Uh… sure?" I tried to smile, but only gave off a confused expression.

"See you around, new girl!"

I turned back to the group, "What…?"

"That's Sissy. You get used to her." Odd assured.

"She's got a thing for Ulrich. I bet she thought of you as competition or something." Jeremy explained.

"Well… that's dumb." I shrugged.

"Hey," Ulrich answered defensive.

"Not about having competition, silly, about assuming I automatically like someone if I talk to them." I laughed.

"Oh… right." He hummed.

"Look at this," Jeremy muttered and for the first time, I realized he had his laptop with him.

"What?" Yumi asked.

"Xana," Was the only word he muttered, but it was enough.

"What are we waiting for?" Odd sprang to his feet, "Come on!"

"Wait Odd," Jeremy stopped him, "Something's not right."

"What's not right, Jeremy?" Aelita asked.

"It's… this tower…" Jeremy stared at the computer screen, "It isn't activated it's just… different."

"Different how?" Aelita asked.

"It isn't activated, but there is an army of monsters guarding it. I don't know why Xana would have monsters around a tower that isn't even activated." Jeremy thought.

"Let's just hang low, ok? If there isn't an activated tower, we don't need to go to Lyoko, right?" Yumi suggested.

"Ok," Jeremy agreed, "I'll keep an eye on it though."

The sun was setting and we had talked and laughed while we sat in the grass for hours.

"Come on, Raya, we need to show you where you're staying," Yumi informed.

"You're going to room with me," Aelita smiled.

"Kay," I agreed and stood up, "See you guys later," I waved to Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremy.

As we walked into the dorm rooms, I elbowed Aelita in the stomach.

"What?" she asked.

"You and Jeremy?" I raised my eyebrows and drew a heart in the air.

She blushed and nodded yes.

Yumi laughed.

"You have room to talk?" I questioned her with a laugh.

"Excuse me?" She laughed back.

"Hello! Ulrich?" I giggled.

"Are you kidding?" she blushed.

"Do I sound like I'm kidding?" I smirked.

"It's not like that!" she blushed deeper.

"Right…" I rolled my eyes.

"What about you?" Aelita snickered.

"Me?" I pointed to myself in disbelief, "If you're talking about Zak, NO WAY!"

I practically screamed and they both burst into laughter.

"Seriously!" I laughed, "I'm not even considering that dude!"

"No, silly, not Zak!" Aelita giggled.

"What? Who then?" I asked.

Yumi elbowed me, "You know." She whispered.

"Wait… huh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say his name starts with o and ends with d." Aelita giggled again.

"Odd?" I let my mouth drop open.

"You two look so cute together! You're one of the few girls who he is actually taller than," Yumi smirked.

"Oh, so now were making fun of my shortness?" I sarcastically scoffed, "And he's only taller by like, two inches."

Yumi and Aelita laughed as we came up to a door.

"Here's my room," Aelita said and opened the door.

"I wasn't really planning on being materialized in another place so, anyone have cloths I can borrow until I can get my own?" I asked.

Aelita pulled out a small bag, "Here is extra deodorant and a toothbrush and stuff like that. I'll see what extra stuff I have that could fit you. You're tiny though."

"So, we're making fun of shot people again?" a laughed.

Aelita pulled out an old pair of jeans and a green T-shirt, "This work?"

"It will for tomorrow." I said and plopped down on the open bed.

"Ok, I'm heading home," Yumi said and waved, "See you tomorrow."

Aelita and I waved back and Yumi was gone.

I laid my head down on my pillow and before Aelita could say anything, I was out.

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**review please  
:D**


	4. Chapter 4

chaper 4. sorry it's taking me so long. please forgive me, my loyal readers! i'm working on the next chpater now. maybe, to make up for the long wait, i'll post the next chapter today too! would that make it up to you guys? i hope so...

anyway-- **Read and Review please!**

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**Chapter 4  
I'm Gonna Hurl**

I put my books down on a desk and started bouncing up and down to the song in my head. I began singing out loud, "If I go crazy, will you still call me superman? If I'm alive and well will you be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might, Kryptonite."

"That song's a classic," A voice interrupted my singing. What a rude voice.

I looked up and saw Zak plopping his books next to mine and he took a seat next to me.

"Yeah, right. You call that classic? That's not even older than Styx. It's not even close to the Beatles' time." I said matter-of-factly.

"Well, it's been around a while," He laughed, "You have a pretty voice." He commented.

"Thanks," what a lame attempt of a pick up line.

"So, you hanging with that Ulrich kid?" He made a face.

"Yup, he's my cousin." I informed.

"Oh," He raised his eyebrows at me, "He's pretty cool. He and Odd are tight. And him and that hot Yumi chick seem to hit it off. And the Einstein, Jeremy, he's pretty cool."

"Yup." I made sure my voice told him that I was uninterested. He didn't get the hint.

"Hey, do you know much about Algebra 2?" he smirked at me. I think the smirk was supposed to be one of those make-the-girl-melt types of smirks but it didn't work too well.

"I dunno. Enough to pass the class with an A, but I wasn't one of those 140 percent students." I told him simply.

He glanced at my schedule, "You seem pretty smart."

I shrugged, "I guess."

"You wanna help me out in Algebra? I could really use the extra help. My house, Friday at around 6?" he tried to give me the breathtaking smile. I wish he could understand that, around me, that just made him look stupid. Poor dude. For a second, I actually thought about helping the guy. I'm sure his grades suck.

Then I remembered what Aelita said, _"I thought he really wanted me to help him with his biology homework. I never would have said yes if I knew he wanted to be my boyfriend."_

He was trying to ask me out. Ugh.

I felt like I was gonna hurl just thinking about it.

"Uh, I promised Odd I'd help him study for a test." I quickly lied.

"Della-Robia? Yeah right. I've never seen him study." He scoffed.

I shrugged, "Maybe his parents are getting on him about his grades. It seemed pretty important that he got it up. And besides, I asked Yumi about you,"

I did my best to put on a flirtatious smile. Hey, might as well play with him while I'm rejecting him, right?

I continued, "You seem like you're in pretty great shape."

I made it obvious as I looked him up and down, checking him out, "I mean, with your grades." I quickly pretended to stutter and made my face blush.

"Yeah," He made a proud face, "I am in pretty good shape," He leaned back and stretched his arms. He pulled his arm back and flexed it.

Ok, I'll admit, he was pretty gorgeous. He had muscles so he didn't look stupid at all when he flexed. He looked… amazing. But, I didn't like his attitude. I would never go out with him. Personality counts and that was something this guy didn't have.

"Hey, Raya," Odd greeted and put his books on the corner of my desk.

He sent an awkward glance over to Zak.

"Zak, I told Odd I would sit next to him today. This is the class we're going to study and I need to make sure he gets the notes down. Is that cool?" I asked.

"Sure," He answered and stood up, "See you later."

"Kay," I answered simply and once he was out of sight I rolled my eyes and let out a much-needed sigh.

Odd laughed, "You okay?"

"Gag me," I exhaled sharply, "I had to flirt with that creep!"

"Flirt with him?" Odd raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hey, might as well play with him a little," I shrugged.

"Right, cause you _totally_ can't just turn him down and be _nice _about it. That would be _way _too acceptable." He laughed sarcastically.

"Exactly." I nodded.

"You are so strange, Raya. So, what's this about us studying? I don't study." He complained.

"I had to make up an excuse why I couldn't hang with him on Friday." I explained.

"Right," Odd nodded, "So, we gonna hang on Friday? If he decides to call you or show up around you, which he will, I should be with you. If you make plans, you should stick to them."

I laughed, "Sure, Odd. But we are so not gonna study. We'll hang with the others or go to Lyoko or something. I dunno, whatever."

"Awesome," he smiled.

I was about to tell Odd how excited I was about our plans. But I stopped myself. Where did that come from? We didn't exactly have plans. We were going to hang with the gang and go to Lyoko no matter what. Why did it matter that it was set as an official outing with Odd? Why was I more excited than before? Just because Odd promised to be with me shouldn't change anything… should it?

Oh no… I couldn't believe it...

_I wasn't falling for him... was I?_

After that, I felt sick to my stomach. I put my head down on the table and tried to calm myself down. I had never fallen for any boy ever. I always kept my guard up. I closed my eyes and just laid there.

"You okay?" Odd's voice entered my ears and I opened my eyes.

Apparently, the bell had rung and most of the class was gone now.

"Um, yeah, I just feel sick," I told him.

I pushed myself up from my chair. My knees went weak and I began falling.

"Careful," Odd said and caught me.

He had one arm around my waist and the other wrapped around my stomach. It felt just like a gentle hug. I felt my face blush as he supported me. _Man, what has gotten into me?_

"Raya, you're hot!" Odd exclaimed.

I could feel my face turn a deep crimson but i couldnt think of anything to say, "Uhh..."

Odd examined my red face, "Oh... i mean... you're temperature... Like, your forehead is burning up. I think you have a fever." I thought i saw him start to blush too, but he turned to the teacher, "Ma'am, can I take Raya to the infirmary?" Odd asked the science teacher.

I was bad with names and had already forgotten hers. I knew she had written it on the board for me so I looked for it to tell her thank you. I looked, but everything was a blur. I couldn't make out the letters.

"Thank you, ma'am," Odd told her and he helped me out into the hallway.

He had picked up my backpack and placed it on his shoulders and he supported all my weight. I wasn't really even walking.

"Don't blow chunks on me, kay?" he smirked.

"Kay," I agreed.

"Raya, what's wrong?" Zak came up to me and held his arms out. _As if I wanted him to hold me rather than Odd. Ew… I mean, I didn't _want_ Odd to hold me, don't get the wrong idea… shut up, who asked you?_ I argued with myself in my head.

I knew Zak was stronger than Odd and I could feel Odd handing me over to him.

"I was taking her to the infirmary." He informed Zak.

_Was? Did he say was?_ I felt the weight being taken from Odd to Zak and that was no good thing.

I clinched my hand into a fist where I was holding onto Odd's shirt. I noticed it was around the chest area.

"Don't move," I told them and they both froze. My weight was being held up by both of them together.

"What's wrong?" Zak asked.

"Are you hurt?" Odd asked at the same time.

"I'm gonna hurl," I told them, "Sit me down. Right here, now, I don't care where I am. Just put me on the ground."

They obeyed. I let myself fall down and my bare cheek rested on the cold sidewalk. I shivered but I could feel my forehead sweating. I wrapped my hands over my stomach and clamped my eyes shut. This sucked.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you to the nurse?" Zak asked me, obviously concerned.

"I don't want to move," I told him, not moving an inch.

"Maybe I should go get the nurse and bring her out here," Odd offered.

"Good idea," Zak answered quickly, "I'll make sure nothing happens."

Ugh… I was getting tired of this attention.

I heard Odd's light footsteps run away and I still refused to move. My head was pounding and my stomach was in a huge knot. I was so close to throwing up, I just wanted to force it out.

"What happened?" the voice was familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"She's sick or something. Odd went to get the nurse. Don't move her, she said she wants to just lie there," Zak told the person.

"Raya? Ray, are you okay?" I finally recognized the voice. The first one was Ulrich, but the second voice that spoke out to me was Yumi.

"Fine," I mumbled.

"Goodness," A feminine voice called and I knew Odd was back with the nurse.

"She doesn't want to move," Zak informed.

"The way she is sitting is cutting off circulation in her les and arms," the woman continued, "We need to move her."

"No," I groaned, "Don't touch me."

Despite my wishes, two sets of arms wrapped around me and pulled me up. One pair of arms was gone and I was only being held up by one person. They held me tightly in their arms and my head laid comfortable on their chest. Their skin was icy on mine.

Next thing I knew, I was on a cot and squinting into the bright hospital like light. I could finally look past the stupid light and I saw Zak sitting loyally at my side.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked.

"A little," I answered honestly, "How long was I out?"

"Only about two hours," He answered.

"Seriously?" I closed my eyes again.

"Yeah, last period of the day just got over so I came to see how you were holding up," He gave me the smile that was supposed to take my breath away. I started to wonder if I was just messed up in my head and it should have taken my breath away. Either way, I still didn't like him like that.

"Good, I think I'm well enough to at least get back up to my room. Is Aelita or Yumi around?" I asked, expecting him to somehow know the answer.

"I dunno," He shrugged.

"Kay," I shrugged back and sat up, "Doesn't matter, I'll make it. I feel better now."

I got up and I was able to walk out the door. Zak, the persistent little booger, decided to walk with me as far as I would allow.

And, who knows? Maybe I'll break down like every other girl and give this guy a chance.

Or, maybe I'll never like him and so I'll never go out with him.

My money is on the second one.

* * *

**review please. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

you ready for this?! YAY! i posted like i said i would. i'm proud of myself.  
ok, this chapter is... interesting. not my best. but  
here's how it's gonna play out. next chapter will be action (hint: they are going to Lyoko). the chapter after will be a cute odd/raya scene. that's all i'm gonna tell you. i dont want to ruin it. ;)

**read and review please.**

* * *

**Chapter 5  
Guys Are Confusing**

"I'll be two seconds," I promised.

"Ok, I'll keep an eye on you," Jeremie promised, "You sure you don't want someone to go with you?"

"I only have one scanner at my place. And that scanner is falling apart, I don't know if it could get us both back," I answered, "But, don't worry, I'm sure I can tough it out. I've been on my own for years. One more second isn't going to kill me."

"Alright," Jeremie agreed, "Get ready."

I walked into the scanner room, which was very nice. A whole lot better than my pathetic excuse for a lab. I was going back to get a few things. Like clothes, data, my cell phone, my laptop, and other things like that. Jeremie seemed to be very worried about the problem with Xana. There hasn't been an activated tower in forever, but Xana kept creating monsters. It was almost like Xana was creating an army.

I stepped into the scanner and was soon materialized into Lyoko.

"Hey, Raya, can you hear me?" I heard Jeremie's voice.

"Loud and clear, Jeremie," I assured, "It's nice having some company." I added.

"Just hurry. No telling what Xana will do," He sounded nervous.

I ran for the closest tower. I finally reached the base of the tower and entered it.

"What are you doing?" Jeremie asked.

"Um, materializing myself," I answered.

"How does that work?" He asked.

"I can use the tower as a scanner. You just have to know how to work the system," I informed.

I began typing in all the codes I needed into the system. The tower lit up and began the usual materializing process. I guess with machines like the gang had, they didn't need to use the towers for materializing.

I was soon in my own cluttered lab. I quickly grabbed a back pack off the counter and started shoving things into the bag. I took all my notebooks off the shelf, shoved in my laptop, and threw my cell phone into my pocket. I ran into a storage place I had and stuffed a few pairs of jeans and some t shirts into the bag. It was pretty much full and almost impossible to zip up.

I quickly began accessing my slow computer that held all my data on it. I plugged in a flash drive and copied as much information as I could onto the drive. I put the drive in my pocket. I turned back to the scanner. And I took all my information with me.

I hurried back and before I knew what was going on, I was materialized back in the scanner room of my friends.

"I got everything," I answered as I walked back into the main room. I pulled the flash drive out of my pocket, "Here, it's all the hacks and codes I know for Lyoko."

"Awesome," Jeremie plugged in the flash drive and began downloading the information.

"I have other stuff, but we can go over it later." I told them.

"Cool," I heard Aelita say as she watched the information flash over the screen.

"Hey, Ray, you okay?" Yumi asked.

"Hm?" I moaned, "Y-yeah, I'm cool."

"You're so pale. Are you sure you're ok?" Yumi asked.

"Peachy," I swallowed hard.

My stomach was in a knot and I could feel my forehead burning with a fever. It was like yesterday. One second I was fine, the next I felt like I was dieing. I sat down and put my face down on the cool table that was sitting in the room.

"Let me take you to the nurse," Odd offered, "This is the second time now. Maybe something's wrong."

I didn't say anything, I didn't move. I just closed my eyes and waited for the sickness to pass. I let my friends debate what they would do with me.

"Maybe we'll just take her up stairs. Last time, she just needed to sleep for a while and she was fine." Aelita suggested.

"Good idea," Jeremie agreed.

I felt two sets of arms around me. I had one arm around each of the people's necks and let them support my weight. I was able to open my eyes for a second to realize it was Odd and Aelita holding me up. I let my heavy head fall onto Odd's shoulder.

_I told you I liked Odd… shut up, his shoulder was there and I'm tired… you know you like him… I do not… yes you do, look how you're blushing… I'm about to pass out, you idiot…_ I wasn't sure why, but I was arguing with myself. I guess I wasn't sure about the current boy situation.

My head was taken off Odd's shoulder and onto the soft pillow of my bed. I just laid there until sleep took me.

* * *

I wasn't sure what time it was, but it was dark when I woke up. I saw Aelita was asleep so I tried to be as quiet as possible as I snuck out the door.

Once I was outside in the crisp night air, I realized it was colder than I thought. I was only wearing shorts and a tank top. No shoes. I crossed my arms for warmth and let my bare feet glide across the cold grass. I watched the sky and the stars sparkled bright in the sky. It gave a sense of peace and it seemed very tranquil. That was strange for a world like this to seem perfect. Maybe it was the brightness the moon and stars gave off mixed with the silence of night.

Whatever it was, I liked it.

"Raya?" the voice shattered the silence.

"Yes?" I asked and turned to see who was talking to me.

"What are you doing out here?" Zak smirked at me.

"Um, I don't know. I woke up and I ended up going outside." I admitted, "And, how about yourself?"

He shrugged, "I always come out here at night. For some reason, it soothes me."

"Me too," I agreed.

"You cold?" he asked.

"A little, not too bad," I answered honestly. He didn't have a jacket, so he wasn't going to pull the classic move of giving his jacket to the girl.

I studied the sky and jumped when arms wrapped around me. The arms were strong and warm, firm and protective. It was nice, it really was. And I was freezing.

I felt my face blush and I pulled away form his arms.

"I should probably head back in," I avoided his eyes. I knew that if I looked at them, they would be gleaming a bright emerald in the moonlight. Their beauty would haunt me in my dreams. A strange way to put it, but I've seen a boy's eyes in moonlight. It's irresistible. And, I only wanted to see Odd's eyes… _wait… umm…yeahh…about that…_

"Yeah, I should too," He smiled, "It was nice talking to you, Raya."

"You too," I answered and hurried back to my room.

Why did I blush? I totally don't like that loser. So, why was I ... _happy_ when he held me?

Dang, that was awkward… Guys are confusing…

* * *

"OK, lets go, we're running laps today," Jim announced. It turns out I was in P.E. class with Jeremie and Ulrich. I thought the others said something about trying to switch classes so we could all have P.E. at the same time.

I got up and began jogging around the track. Jeremie and Ulrich were a few feet behind me and laughing. I snapped my head around.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," Ulrich smirked and Jeremie pressed his lips together to hide a laugh.

"Come on," I whined. I was jogging backwards so I could face my friends and still not get yelled at. I had skill, man.

"Nothing, really. You wouldn't want to hear it anyway. It's guy talk." Ulrich explained.

"Guy talk, as in saying something perverted about a girl?" I asked.

"…No…" Ulrich said, "The other kind of girl talk."

"There's two kinds?" I asked puzzled.

"Yes." Ulrich answered simply.

"Raya," Jim called, "Get running! That is unacceptable for this class! Run an extra lap and don't you dare jog, I want you to sprint!"

"What's his problem?" I mumbled and took off. I probably didn't want to hear what those two were talking about anyway. I just took off into a sprint and finished my extra laps in record time.

I wish I could talk to Yumi. She seemed to understand guys more than I did. And, that's saying something. Guys are so confusing…

* * *

**review please :D**


	6. Chapter 6

i havent exactly seen the too many episodes of Code Lyoko. So, if something is wrong with my story or anything like that, please let me know.  
and sorry for the kind-of-long wait.

**alright, read and review. please.**

* * *

**Chapter 6  
Wounded**

"Raya, wake up,"

I instantly opened my eyes when I heard Aelita's frantic voice.

"Yeah?" I asked as I opened my eyes and sat up.

"Hurry, Jeremie said there's an emergency. We need to get to Lyoko," she explained.

I pulled myself up and we were soon out the door. We ran through the school until we finally got to the yard. I threw my weight against the door and pushed it open as fast as I could.

"Ouch," a deep voice complained, "Oh, it's you. What's the rush?"

I turned and saw Zak, "Oh, sorry, nothing! I'm just really hungry! Bye!"

I zoomed past him and I heard his faint voice call, "but… the cafeteria is the other way…"

"Nice save," Yumi laughed and I just noticed that she was running beside me.

I shrugged, "It was the first thing that came to mind."

We all made it to the lab and crowded into the scanner room. Jeremie scanned us all as quickly as possible. When I entered Lyoko, Odd and Ulrich were already fighting a mob of monsters.

I pulled out my bo staff and charged into the mob, eager to finally have some excitement around Lyoko. I swiftly whirled my staff around myself, destroying something. I wasn't really paying much attention to what I was taking out, as long as it was a monster, I was attacking it. A loud sound rang in my ears. I snapped around to see myself face to face with one of Xana's monsters. It was about to land an attack, when it disappeared.

I looked beyond where the monster was and saw Odd smirking, "Careful," he teased.

I quickly stood back up and began fighting again. I quickly remembered the throwing stars I had. I stabbed my bo staff into the ground, got a running start, and hoisted myself onto the bo staff. As I spun around the pole, I threw the throwing stars as hard as I could, killing the monsters that surrounded me.

"Hey," I heard Ulrich yell, "Watch it!"

"Sorry," I called back and stabbed my staff into another creature.

I remembered my ride. I quickly dropped to my knees and did a series of taps and beats lightly on the ground. Once my rhythm was tapped out, I simply said 'Mobile'. I smiled as my hover board appeared. It was short, like a skateboard, not like the others I've seen that are more the length of a snowboard. I jumped onto it and sped away from the battle. I flew by Aelita and pulled her onto my board.

"Thanks," she breathed.

"No problem, Princess," I smirked.

"So, you've caught onto my nickname," she blushed, "Good."

I slowed down and dropped her off in front of the tower, "You deactivate it," I told her, "We'll hold these guys off."

She nodded and ran into the tower.

I sped back into the battle, and was surprised when a blast knocked me off my board. I flew back, more than usual, and skidded hard against the ground.

I felt something cut into me as I collided into a rock. It was strange, there was pain.

"Jeremie, how many life points do I have left?" I asked quickly.

"Uh, you're perfect, Raya," he answered, "You haven't been hit, have you?"

"I just got hit," I informed.

The sharp pain still cut into my side, which was really strange. I looked down and I felt my eyes start to water just at the sight. It wasn't right. This couldn't happen in Lyoko. Was this a glitch?

I looked at my side. Fresh crimson blood stained my clothes and trickled onto the ground. I saw the blood staining the ground as the pain shook me. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Not here, not now, not ever.

"Odd! Ulrich! Yumi!" I called, "Someone!"

"What's wrong, Raya?" Jeremie asked frantically.

"I'm bleeding!" I screamed, still not able to believe it myself.

"Return to the past NOW!" Jeremie yelled in a panic and everything went away.

When I woke up, I was in my room and still in my pajamas.

"What happened?" I asked and looked around the room. Everyone was there. Everyone looked shocked.

"Raya, don't sit up, okay?" Jeremie suggested.

"Why?" I asked.

"I did a return to the past, everything should be like it was this morning. But, look," he pointed to my side.

I looked down and my cloths were blood stained. I lifted up my shirt a little, revealing a long gash that spread long my side and stomach. It was the wound I got in Lyoko.

"Is this… normal?" I asked, now starting to panic.

"No," Ulrich answered, "Its not. And it doesn't make sense. We returned to the past, you shouldn't have a wound. You shouldn't have gotten a wound at all in Lyoko, either. And what's strange is, all the return to the past did was make the gashes merely scars. The wounds aren't fresh anymore. But, your clothes are covered in blood."

"This is all very weird," Odd blurted out.

"What could be causing this?" I asked quickly.

"I have no idea," Jeremie admitted, "And it's bugging me to no end."

"This has never happened before," I added and sat up, "It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Bizarre," Yumi breathed.

"I'm hungry," I blurted out, "I'm going to change real fast and go get something to eat."

I went to the bathroom, changed, and went out the door. Yumi and Odd were next to me as I walked down the hall.

"Why are you guys coming?" I asked.

"I don't want you to pass out or anything," Yumi explained, "No telling what's going to happen."

"I'm just hungry," Odd admitted.

When we got to the cafeteria, I was mostly in a daze. I didn't say too much, I just listened to Yumi and Odd talk, nodding yes or no when they asked me a question.

"What's that thing you did to get your hover board to Lyoko?" Yumi asked.

I nodded 'yes'.

"…I'm not the smartest person, but I don't think that's a yes or no question," Odd commented as he stuffed a piece of food in his mouth.

"Oh, it was just a code. It's like entering a cheat for a video game," I smiled at my analogy. I thought that one was pretty good.

"Hm," Yumi hummed, impressed.

I stood up to put my tray away. As I stood, I accidentally bumped into someone. Their elbow bumped into my side, along my wounds. It didn't hurt when they hit my wounds, but I wasn't ready for what happened next.

I threw up. I caught most of it with my trey, trying to not make a mess. But, it's impossible to open your eyes when you puke, so I wasn't prepared for what I would see when I opened my eyes.

Blood was everywhere. On my trey, on the floor, staining my clothes. People stared and covered their mouths and noses. I dropped my trey in shock, making a bigger mess on the floor. Without warning, my knees collapsed and all I could feel was pain. In my head, in my knees, in my stomach, in my throat. The pain was everywhere.

I heard another round of gasps, whispers, and gags. Then, everything went black.

* * *

**review, please.**


	7. Chapter 7

hey. i updated. are you proud?  
sorry it took a long time. i need to work at posting faster...

anyway. **read and review. :D**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Xana's Little Chat**

I hated waking up. It was like your body turning back on after you shut down for eight hours. I never got the point of sleep or the feeling of being tired. Personally, it was just an unneeded feeling that got in the way of being able to do things 24/7. But, whatever.

"Yumi…Aelita?" I mumbled and blinked my eyes open.

"We're here," a voice answered. It took me a second but I finally recognized it to be Yumi.

"Us too," Odd added, "The whole gang is here."

I placed my hand on my forehead. It was sweaty and burning, but my body felt cold, "What happened?"

"You threw up and passed out. This is your third little 'attack' this week. But the nurse swears you're fine. I don't know what…" Jeremie began but trailed off as his computer started making beeping sounds. He gasped, "It's Xana!"

"What is?" Ulrich asked.

"Everything!" Jeremie screamed.

I sat up and looked at the computer screen. Right there, in the middle of whatever Jeremie had been working on, Xana wrote a personal message across the screen.

Still alive, Raya? The computer typed Your pathetic body hasn't broken down yet?

"What does he want?" I mumbled, holding my head up with my hand.

I would have thought my virus would have broken you down by now.

"What virus?" Ulrich echoed, "Jeremie, try typing back. See if you can communicate through the computer."

Jeremie's hands flew across the keyboard.

Don't you remember, Raya? Xana answered, The virus you noticed before any of your friends. The one where you saved Aelita.

"That shouldn't have affected me," I shook my head, "I typed in a code. I overrode the virus you put on the tower…" Jeremie typed my response.

You claim to know so much, but still know so little, He taunted.

"Then enlighten me," I snapped, but it was hard to scream at a computer when you were weak as it was.

Xana answered, Too bad you didn't know that the code you typed into my system only cured one person from the virus. Aelita is fine. But you, on the other hand, are falling apart. This virus has caused you to bleed in Lyoko, have attacks outside of the system, and pass out. The only place you can be now without getting sick, is Lyoko. But, now, that is a place where you can get killed. Good luck staying alive, my dear.

Jeremie typed something, but there was no response. He kept pounding keys, but nothing brought Xana's communication back.

"Is Raya… going to… die?" Aelita asked slowly.

"No," Odd answered firmly, "We won't let Xana take us down like this."

I couldn't stop my heart from skipping a beat when Odd didn't even hesitate. He wanted me around. Score.

"Odd is right," Yumi added, "He can't take her like this."

"We won't let him," Ulrich added.

"Thanks guys," I croaked.

"You're our friend. We don't give up that easily," Ulrich assured and gave me a smile.

"Yeah, cause we've almost died lots of times," Odd smirked, "So, you'll be fine. We always make it out of near-death experiences."

"I'm not sure if that's really helping Odd," Yumi elbowed him, "Because this isn't like any of our other near death experiences."

"…You don't think we can do it?" I asked Yumi after a pause.

"It's not that I don't think we can do it, I just don't think it's going to be as easy as we all think it will be," she admitted.

"As long as we're all still together and still fighting I believe we can handle anything Xana throws at us," Aelita added.

"And as long as we have our Lyoko expert here," I said smiling at Jeremie, "We can always know what's going on in Lyoko."

Jeremie blushed, "I wouldn't call myself an expert…"

I just smiled, "I'm really glad I have friends like you," I admitted.

"We'll always be right here," Yumi smiled wide.

"Even if I blow chunks all over you next time I get sick?" I smirked.

Yumi laughed, "We'll be there."

"With trash bags," Odd added.

I laughed, "Thanks, Odd."

* * *

**review please. **


	8. Chapter 8

In this chapter, i kind of feel like Raya loses a little bit of her tough edge. I'm not sure why she does, but she does. **Don't worry though, her sarcastic-tough-kickbutt attitude will be back.**  
sorry for the LONG LONG time. but i'm updating now! that's exciting, right?  
**read and review :D**  


* * *

**Chapter 8  
Fight or Flight**

The next day, I was tired of getting so behind in school. Apparently, my black outs had made me miss quite a few days. And my science class was one I could not afford to miss again. And, lucky me, that just happened to be the class with Odd AND Zak. How confusing.

I walked to class with Odd.

"How do you feel?" Odd asked.

"Fine," I answered, "I mean… I can breathe and I'm not throwing up so I think that's good."

"Xana said Lyoko is the only place you won't be sick, but now you can die there," His tone was soft.

I elbowed him lightly, "Hey, lighten up."

He looked away from me, "I need to talk to Jeremie."

I shuffled my feet as there was an awkward silence, "Is… there something you know that I don't?" I finally asked.

He shrugged. Great thorough answer.

"Hey," I tugged lightly on his shirt sleeve so he'd look back at me, "If there's something I need to know, tell me."

He pulled his sleeve out of my hand, "It's nothing."

"You sure? I'm not going to drop dead anytime soon?" I asked. Part of me joking, but a secret part of me was serious.

"That's not funny," he mumbled.

I dropped the conversation. Obviously he wasn't in the greatest mood today. I'd never seen him out of his happy-go-lucky mood so this was a new 'treat' for me. At least he was still walking with me and didn't just totally ignore my existence.

We reached the classroom after an eternity of walking in silence and we both took out seats at the teacher began.

* * *

Class over. Boringness done.

"Aelita…" I had been sitting on my bed in silence for an hour and Aelita had been doing homework and some other things at the computer.

"Hmm?" she hummed, looking up.

"Is Odd okay?" I asked.

She got up and sat on her bed, giving me her full attention, "I think, why?"

"He's been acting strange. Is he upset with me?" I asked slowly.

"What happened?" she asked, her eyebrows pulled down in thought.

I shook my head at the memory, "He said he needed to talk to Jeremie. He asked how I was feeling and was really quiet. It wasn't like him."

"That isn't like him," she agreed, "Why would he be mad at you?"

"I don't know," I looked up at her and her eyes widened. It only took me a second to realize why. I quickly brushed my sweatshirt sleeve along my eyes, wiping away the unwanted moisture, "I don't know."

Aelita came and sat beside me, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder, "I'll call Yumi."

Not much later, Yumi was in our dorm room.

"Quiet? Odd was quiet?" She seemed to be double checking that she heard right.

I nodded, "I think… he's upset with me. But I don't know why."

"Maybe he's afraid," Aelita offered, "He cares about you. And this virus thing is something we've never dealt with before."

"I hope," I mumbled.

* * *

The next day I slept until my chemistry class. I tossed and turned all night, trying to stop my brain from thinking about Odd's off mood and Zak's… Zakness. I ended up tossing and turning until around 6 in the morning and only caught an hour of Z's before I was up for school. Still, tired as I was, I'd try to pry open Odd's strange behavior and try to ignore Zak.

"How are you?" I asked him casually as he slipped his books onto his desk.

He shrugged.

"…Is everything okay? Did you talk to Jeremie like you wanted?"

Another shrug. I _loved_ how I was getting answers.

I puffed out my lower lip, then turned my mood sarcastic, "Whoa, slow down chatterbox," I told him, "I don't think my brain can keep up with your talkativeness."

He made no sign that he had heard me. I was tempted to knock on his head and shout 'hello? Anyone home?' But, keeping my composure, I didn't.

"Things are… hard," he allowed, not giving me much to work with.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," I rolled my eyes, "I thought everything was just hunky dory. Something's wrong? _No…_"

"Ease up on the sarcasm, 'ight?" he snapped.

I recoiled from his aggression, "Sorry," I mumbled.

He let out a heavy breath and rubbed his temple with his index finger.

Zak walked in and saw Odd had, once again, sat next to me. Zak took the seat behind me, but wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Odd, Raya's smart. You know, some other people could use her for a partner. Why do you steal her everyday?"

"So you can't have her," he stated, matter-of-factly.

I blushed, but then was a little upset. They were talking about me as if I were a pretty toy and not a human being.

"I'm sitting right here, you know," I mumbled, too low for them to hear.

"Raya," Zak whispered, once class had just gotten started.

"Mm?" I hummed and shifted slightly, enough so I could hear but not enough for the teacher to notice.

"So, about this dance…" he began.

"Dance?" I was not informed about this. Dance? Here? When? Why? Me?

"You know, the school dance," he informed, "It's Friday."

"THIS Friday?" I asked, stunned.

"Yeah. Haven't you noticed the posters everywhere? Anyway, are you going?" he asked casually.

"Uh, depends on how I'm feeling. I've been really sick lately so… I won't be sure until the day of. Sorry," I explained. That was an honest answer so I didn't feel bad for turning him down.

"Oh," he said simply, "You know, if you're going with someone else...You could just say so."

Zak eyed Odd with an expression that I couldn't really read. Odd stiffened, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation.

"No, really, Zak," I assured, "I've really been sick. Throwing up and everything. If I go, there is a great possibility I will blow chunks all over you so… I really won't know."

"Oh," he seemed happier, "Well… if you DO go…"

"I'll save you a dance," I promised.

"Good," he leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

_Don't look at Odd, don't look at Odd, don't look at Odd, _I ordered myself. I was pretty sure Odd liked me, even if he wasn't as obvious as Zak. And I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about either one of these guys.

Of course, after a while, I couldn't help but look over at Odd. When I peeked, he was staring straight at me. Eyes wide, he started at me. I made faces at him, trying to lighten the mood or make him look away. Preferably the second one.

"Are you going to the dance?" I whispered to Odd. Just being polite.

Odd didn't move his stare as he answered, "Not with you."

Ouch. That was harsh. What'd I do?

Great job, Odd. Now I'm mad. I was aware that in the past, whenever someone cracked their knuckles Odd would wince. Obviously he didn't like the sound of it. So, being the jerk I am, I looked straight into his eyes and cracked each knuckle individually. Each one with a loud, thick, crack.

He just stared at me. So I stared back. He had on an expression that said 'I can't believe you' and I felt horrible. What had made him so mad in the first place? Had I done something to offend him? Hadn't he been fine two seconds ago?

I looked away, mad that I was the one to look away first. I looked at the chalk board but didn't comprehend any of the scribbles. I could still feel Odd's eyes on me. And on top of that, Zak's eyes staring at me and Odd.

_Go away. _I screamed at them both mentally, _Stop it. Stop staring._

Neither of them stopped. I puffed my bottom lip out, frustrated. I glanced at Odd who seemed to be frozen in place. I even turned around to face Zak. When I caught him staring, he snapped up and tried to pull it off as if I hadn't caught him.

SO ANNOYING! Why did they do this? All the time. Everything was so hard.

I closed my eyes and laid my head face down on the lab table. I would survive this class.

Who knew chemistry could be so hard? Not me.

* * *

The bell rang and I let out a deep breath. I could hear Odd take a breath like he was going to say something, but I was out of the classroom before he could start a sentence. I was out of the room before I even heard the homework assignment. I would have to get that somehow…

The moment I stepped into the hall I was running. I didn't know why everything all of the sudden felt so hard. Zak was slowly, but surely, becoming a bigger factor in my life. And Odd… I didn't know what was up his butt.

It crossed my mind that no one else noticed Odd's sour mood except for me. So, I did the mature thing. I spied on him.

I followed him as we walked across the grass to meet up with Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita. He greeted them with smiles and cracked a not-so-funny joke. He was acting like himself. No rude stick-up-his-butt attitude.

I marched straight up to him, weaving through people as I crossed the big opening. I grabbed his wrist and started pulling him behind me, "I'm talking to you. Now." I informed.

"Jeez," he complained, "You know, there's a way to get people's attention without hurting them."

_And there's a way to communicate with people without being a jerk, _I thought sourly.

"What?" he demanded as I pulled him around a corner and stopped.

"I want to know what's going on. With everyone else, you're yourself. But… with me, it's all different. What's wrong? What are you not telling me?" I said in a strict voice.

"I don't have to tell you anything," he shrugged, "Why don't you go and flirt it up with Zak? I'm sure he'd love that."

My eyes widened as I comprehended the words. Coiling my hand into a fist, I threw a hard, quick punch into Odd's face. And I wasn't sorry.

He staggered back, in surprise, and held his hand to his now bleeding nose. He stared at me in disbelief.

"You don't talk to me like that! You don't _ever_ talk to me like that!" I screamed at him. Some people turned to stare, but I didn't care enough to tell them to get lost.

Then it occurred to me that punching him in the face _might _not have been the best method in understanding him.

"Raya, you're crazy!" he yelled and wiped the blood away with his sleeve.

"Oh, yeah, _I'm _crazy!" I wanted to stop and try actually talking to him, but I couldn't stop my anger, "I'm so…" I was able to stop myself in mid tantrum and bring my anger level down, "…confused," I admitted, my voice softer.

He looked at me in a way he's never looked at me before. I didn't know what this look meant. Shock? No… disbelief? Maybe…

I shook my head, wiping away all the thoughts that that could have been a look of sympathy, "Just, never mind!" I turned the other way and began walking to my room, "Forget anything happened. I don't care."

I tried to wait until I was out of his sight before I ran away like a coward, but I simply couldn't wait that long. I fell into a sprint almost in the same moment I turned away from him. I could feel his eyes in my back, so I just pushed my legs harder.

Everything I ran by was a blur. Except that one face that always showed up at the worst times. Zak's.

"Raya? Raya, what's wrong? Are you sick?" I could feel his arms on my shoulders, ready to support me if I fainted like I was known for doing lately.

My voice gave away the fact that I was fighting tears, "Just let me go," I begged, not caring that I sounded like a total wimp, "Leave me alone, please."

His arms slipped and released me. I began running again and didn't stop until I was nice and safe, locked in my room.

* * *

The next day wasn't too much better. Chemistry, bright and early. Again. It was terrible. I was pretty sure this class would be the death of me. And, needless to say, I wasn't in the best mood. I took my seat and looked straight ahead, not bothering to see the scene I knew would be around me. Odd beside me, Zak behind me.

"Uh… hey," Odd started, his voice low and awkward.

"Hi," I answered, my voice cracking, without looking towards him.

"Jeez Della Robia," Zak laughed, as if he were ahead in a competition, "What'd you do to get her so upset with you?"

"Shut up, Zak," I snapped, still staring forward.

"Jeez Hamlton," Odd mocked, substituting Zak's last name in, "What'd you do to get her so upset with you?"

Zak huffed and took his seat behind me. Something told me this little "competition" between them went on behind the scenes. I was sure they fought even more when I wasn't around to shut them up.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the class—and the rest of the day—avoiding both of them. Call me a coward, but that's what I did. I wasn't sure what was up with me, but I just lost my flame. I didn't want to fight for anything and I really didn't want to fight with anyone.

I'm pretty sure this was the first time in my life I ever chose flight over fight.

The next day, Chemistry continued on the same way. Zak and Odd having secret little arguments. I still couldn't understand either of them. What was wrong with them?

More importantly, what was wrong with me?

I… I think… I actually like them. Both of them.

I've never gotten this upset about something so stupid. So they are both trying to win me over. So I have fallen for both guys. So what? They're just guys. But Odd's edge and Zak's egotistical attitude were really getting old. Besides, I'm not some stupid race horse that you need to bet on. I'm a person. A living, breathing human who is sick and tired of being treated like an object.

Part of me didn't even think either of them really liked me. They just liked the challenge, the competition.

And it was that same reason why I was so mad. I figured it out. Why I was so angry with both of them. Why I just wanted to punch them both in the throat. They weren't acting like they actually liked me, they were acting like all they wanted was to beat each other. Maybe this competition between them went further back than just when I came into the picture.

But that shouldn't matter. No girl wants to be an object. Not even one who is usually tough as nails. I hate to admit how pathetically girly I was being… but I just couldn't help it. I was sick of being used. But most of all…

I was sick of people _pretending_ when my feelings were _real_.

I could feel both their eyes pressing into me. I closed my eyes, trying to shrug it off. It wasn't working. And before I could stop myself… I just snapped.

"WHAT?" I jolted up, my chair clattered as it was knocked over onto the tile floor.

Everyone's head snapped to look at me, confused faces. Odd jumped at my sudden movement, and I could see Zak tense as if he were going to get up and drag me to an insane asylum.

"Raya!" The teacher called, "Sit down!"

But I ignored her and screamed as my eyes shifted from Odd to Zak.

"Will you two stop it?" I looked at Odd, "You're acting as if I killed someone! You're ignoring me all the time unless we're in front of Zak, then you act like I'm your-your _property_. I don't think I've done anything wrong. At least nothing to make you ignore me so much outside of your little competition," now I looked at both of them, "This… whatever you want to call it, has to stop. And it's stopping _now. _You two are fighting like I'm an object or like a game. Well, this is one game I refuse to be a player in. Look, I like you both. I do. But I don't think you like me the way you've been fooling me to believe. It's so hard all the time! You two have NO idea how hard it is when you do things like this. You both may be pretending and fighting with each other through me, but I am not pretending. I have the guts to go up and punch someone if I want to fight with them. You two can't even do that. You have to have a secret little competition and play with people's hearts like they're nothing more than a pawn. My feelings are real and there was a point in time when I thought yours were too. But I guess I was wrong. And, on top of that, I'm sick. Maybe even dying, and I can't even think about that because you two NEVER FREAKING STOP!"

My outburst was done. Everything was out. Every last thing.

With the whole class staring at me, I decided it was time for me to go. I collected my things and, with as much dignity as I could muster up, I walked out of class. I up and left, leaving the whole class, the teacher, and those two boys staring after me in disbelief.

Now, I'm not sure. Was that considered a fight or a flight?

Let's break it down. The score after today?

Odd and Zak: 0. Raya: wins.

I can imagine a crowd bursting out into applause.

_Thank you, thank you, my adoring fans! You're too kind. _

* * *

**review please :D**

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